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Fact check: Which states have been sued for gerrymandering by Democratic voters since 2020?
1. Summary of the results
Based on the analyses provided, multiple states have faced gerrymandering litigation since 2020, though the sources don't always specify which cases were initiated specifically by Democratic voters. The most comprehensive overview comes from a redistricting litigation roundup that identifies 27 states where congressional and/or legislative maps have been challenged in court due to gerrymandering: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin [1].
Key states with documented legal challenges include:
- Alabama - The Supreme Court struck down Alabama's congressional maps in 2023 for racial gerrymandering [2]
- Louisiana - Involved in similar racial gerrymandering cases being considered by the Supreme Court [2]
- Texas - Multiple sources reference ongoing redistricting battles and potential litigation under the Voting Rights Act, with Democrats alleging racially motivated gerrymandering [3] [4] [5]
- North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Tennessee, Utah, and Illinois - Referenced as states with gerrymandering issues [6] [7]
2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints
The analyses reveal several important gaps in addressing the specific question:
- Lack of plaintiff specification: While the sources identify states with gerrymandering litigation, they rarely specify whether Democratic voters, Republican voters, or other groups initiated the lawsuits [1] [6]
- Bipartisan gerrymandering reality: The sources indicate that gerrymandering is not exclusively a Republican practice - Illinois is mentioned as an example where Democrats have engaged in gerrymandering, suggesting that both parties benefit from manipulating district boundaries when in power [6]
- Different types of gerrymandering: The analyses distinguish between racial gerrymandering (which violates the Voting Rights Act) and political gerrymandering (which the Supreme Court has ruled is not subject to federal court intervention), but this distinction isn't always clear in the coverage [2] [5]
- Timeline ambiguity: Most sources don't provide clear dates for when specific lawsuits were filed, making it difficult to determine which cases occurred "since 2020" [3] [1] [6]
3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement
The original question contains an implicit assumption that may reflect bias:
- Partisan framing: By specifically asking about lawsuits by "Democratic voters," the question suggests that gerrymandering litigation is primarily a Democratic initiative, when the evidence shows that both parties engage in gerrymandering and face legal challenges depending on which party controls redistricting in each state [6] [7]
- Oversimplification: The question doesn't acknowledge that gerrymandering cases can involve multiple types of legal challenges (racial vs. political) with different legal standards and outcomes [5] [2]
- Missing broader context: The framing ignores that Republican voters and advocacy groups also file gerrymandering lawsuits in states where Democrats control redistricting, such as Illinois and Maryland [1] [6]
The question would be more accurate if it asked about gerrymandering litigation generally, rather than focusing solely on Democratic plaintiffs, as this would provide a more complete picture of redistricting challenges across the political spectrum.